Bon Jovi in Osaka 27/11/18

Bon Jovi followed their Tokyo show with a gig in Osaka. Here's what was played:

Osaka, Japan - Kyocera Dome Osaka - November 27, 2018 set list

1. This House is Not For Sale
2. Knockout
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Whole Lot of Leavin'
5. Lost Highway
6. We Weren't Born to Follow
7. Roller Coaster
8. Who Says You Can't Go Home
9. Born to Be My Baby
10. It's My Life
11. God Bless This Mess
12. We Don't Run
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore:
18. In These Arms
19. Someday I'll Be Saturday NIght
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Osaka

"This House Is Not For Sale" and "Knockout". If you were following the blog when THINFS came out, you might recall that I... strongly dislike "Knockout". But I thought this outro was cool:

"In These Arms", with Jon throwing to David Bryan on the second verse and John Shanks still playing the guitar solo:

If you have any videos you'd like to share from Osaka, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Were you at the show?

Other notes

Meanwhile, David joined Instagram about three weeks ago and has been uploading some behind-the-scenes posts, like this video, shot on the plane heading to Australia:

View this post on Instagram

Melbourne Australia. Here we come ....😎💪🎹🥁🎙🎸🎶🎶💥

A post shared by David Bryan (@davidbryanmusic) on Nov 27, 2018 at 6:26pm PST

Dave's sitting next to Matt Bongiovi, who's indicated that this leg will be his final Bon Jovi tour:

Looking forward to my last stint of touring. What better way then a run in Japan and Australia. #bonjovi

— Matthew Bongiovi (@TheMattBongiovi) 18 November 2018

Bon Jovi in Tokyo 26/11/18

After a six-month break, Bon Jovi kicked off the Japan/Australia leg of their This House Is Not For Sale Tour in Tokyo. Here's what was played:

Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome - November 26, 2018 set list

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Raise Your Hands
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Whole Lot of Leavin'
5. Lost Highway
6. Runaway
7. Roller Coaster
8. When We Were Us
9. Born to Be My Baby
10. It's My Life
11. God Bless This Mess
12. We Don't Run
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore: 
19. We Weren't Born to Follow
20. Blood on Blood
21. I'll Be There For You
22. Wanted Dead or Alive
23. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Tokyo

"Blood on Blood":

"Bed of Roses":

"I'll Be There For You":

If you have any videos from Tokyo you'd like to share, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Were you at the show?

Bon Jovi Tokyo set list 4/12/13 + Phil X sings AC/DC

Bon Jovi continued on to Tokyo on their Because We Can tour, with David Bryan and Phil X again getting a bit of extra (deserved) spotlight. Phil sang AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" during the Sleep medley in what was likely to be a preview of the upcoming Australian shows.

Were you at this concert?

Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome - December 4, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. We Got It Going On
10. Keep the Faith
11. (You Want To) Make a Memory
12. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
13. Born to Be My Baby
14. We Weren't Born to Follow
15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
/ Rockin' All Over the World - John Fogerty/Status Quo cover / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover / Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis cover (David Bryan vox) / You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC cover (Phil X vox)
17. Bad Medicine
    / Shout! - Isley Brothers cover

encore:
18. In These Arms - David Bryan vox on 2nd verse
19. Have a Nice Day
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer

This video showcases Dave and Phil's parts in the Sleep medley.
BON JOVI Tokyo Dome Live2013

Bon Jovi Osaka set list 3/12/13

Bon Jovi kicked off the final leg of the Because We Can Tour in Osaka. Were you there?

Osaka, Japan - Kyocera Dome Osaka - December 3, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. In These Arms
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Born to Be My Baby
16. We Weren't Born to Follow
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis cover (David Bryan vox)
    / Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones cover
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
    / Takin' Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive cover (Phil X vox)
19. Bad Medicine
encore:
20. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
21. Have a Nice Day
22. Wanted Dead or Alive
23. Runaway
24. Livin' on a Prayer

Bon Jovi to tour Japan

Bon Jovi will be in Japan in December just ahead of their Australian leg, which is set to mark the end of the Because We Can Tour. Two dates have been announced:

• Dec 3 - Osaka, JP - Osaka Dome
• Dec 4 - Tokyo, JP - Tokyo Dome

Songs For Japan

The Songs For Japan compilation album to raise money for the earthquake/tsunami relief effort is now available on iTunes. Prices vary depending on what country you're in. The full track list is:

1. Imagine [remastered] - John Lennon
2. Walk On [radio edit] - U2
3. Shelter from the Storm - Bob Dylan
4. Around the World [live] - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Born This Way [Starsmith remix] - Lady GaGa
6. Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
7. Talking to the Moon [acoustic piano version] - Bruno Mars
8. Firework - Katy Perry
9. Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
10. Like I Love You - Justin Timberlake
11. Miles Away [live] - Madonna
12. When Love Takes Over - David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland
13. Love the Way You Lie [clean version] - Rihanna & Eminem
14. Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen
15. Awake [live] - Josh Groban
16. Better Life - Keith Urban
17. One Tribe - The Black Eyed Peas
18. Sober - P!nk
19. It's OK - Cee Lo Green
20. I Run to You - Lady Antebellum
21. What Do You Got? - Bon Jovi
22. My Hero - Foo Fighters
23. Man on the Moon [live] - R.E.M.
24. Save Me [clean version] - Nicki Minaj
25. By Your Side - Sade
26. Hold On [radio edit] - Michael Bublé
27. Pray [acoustic] - Justin Bieber
28. Make You Feel My Love - Adele
29. If I Could Be Where You Are - Enya
30. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Elton John

JBJ makes a dream come true, sends a message to Japan

For all the bashing (sometimes justified, sometimes over the top) that Jon Bon Jovi gets, the man is not devoid of a heart. The feelgood story to come out of Bon Jovi's Salt Lake City show was the fact that Justin Mitton, an Idaho fan with Down's syndrome, finally got to meet his idol after a campaign by his family. Read the article here.

Jon has also recorded a message of support for the band's Nihon no tomodachi, or Japanese friends, in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. You can watch the video on Bon Jovi's Facebook page. Bon Jovi will also be one of the artists donating a track for a Japan disaster relief album.

Happy New Year / Next 100 Years

Happy New Year, everyone! How was your New Year's Eve?

Now here's something you don't see every day. I have posted this Japanese version of "Next 100 Years" by charity boy band J-FRIENDS on this blog in the past, but that was about two years ago so you may not have seen it or stumbled across it before. I think this show is from New Year's Eve 1999. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote the song, with Koshi Inaba providing the Japanese translations. The J-FRIENDS "cover" was technically the first version of "Next 100 Years", since the Crush version didn't come out until June 2000.


Here's Bon Jovi performing "Next 100 Years" at Tokyo Dome in 2001 as part of the One Wild Night tour.


May 2011 be a prosperous year for you. :)

Tokyo 2 set list

The second of Bon Jovi's two nights in Tokyo. Maybe I'm naturally deluded, but I actually thought "Tokyo Road" might get a run here... After all, Bon Jovi has officially given up on The Circle and "Tokyo Road" is on the Japanese release of the Greatest Hits. Wonder if we'll get any new Greatest Hits tracks apart from "What Do You Got" before the end of the year (i.e. in New Zealand or Australia), or if they are saving them for 2011.

Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome - December 1, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
When We Were Beautiful
It's My Life
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine / Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
What Do You Got?
(You Want to) Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Work for the Working Man
Runaway
Raise Your Hands
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Video links on Hath's Circle Tour blog as they come.

Tokyo 1 set list

Bon Jovi headed to the Tokyo Dome tonight for the first of two Japan shows. I'm still flabbergasted that they chose to overlook Osaka in favour of an apparently failed attempt to sell out the Dome twice, but I'm no CEO.

Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome - November 30, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
When We Were Beautiful
It's My Life
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
What Do You Got?
(You Want To) Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Work for the Working Man
Runaway
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Videos and other media links will pop up on Hath's Circle Tour blog in due course.

It's a week before Bon Jovi hits my town. Frankly I'm not expecting a gem-packed set, but if they keep "Something for the Pain" I'll be very happy. Actually, if they play "Always" and "Bed of Roses" I'll be happy.

David Bryan talks about Memphis, Japan and Bon Jovi

Check out a two-part interview with David Bryan by NY Japanese Culture Examiner Justin Tedaldi:

What were your initial impressions on your first visit to Japan in the ’80s, and how do you feel about Japan today?
Japan is like our second home, you know? We’ll be down there in November, and it’s always our second home. I remember going there [in 1984], our first year playing Super Rock [Festival], and it was very isolated, if you will, and now, with the Internet, the world is way less isolated…everything’s becoming everything. It’s a very special place, very special fans, and the Japanese have embraced us, and it’s great, you know? We’re going to go back there and play and I’m going to bring Memphis there, too. Memphis is going to be a huge musical in Japan.

Compared to other Western rock bands, Bon Jovi is still hugely successful in Japan, selling out the biggest stadiums with each tour and enjoying healthy record sales. What do you think is the key to the group’s long lasting appeal over there?
As a band, we’ve strived to stay current. Our new record, The Circle, was Number One in 15 countries, you know, we just strive to be current, not just go, “Okay, the last record did good and that’s it.” You want to hear “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” on the radio, but yet you want to hear us playing the new song “We Weren’t Born to Follow.” So, the idea is that we keep pushing the envelope, keep pushing new songs and keep trying to better ourselves and keep expressing ourselves. Other than that, as a live band, we’ve always committed to walking on that stage and leaving your heart on the stage. We put out 150 percent every time we walk out on stage.

Read the full interview here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

Japan tour dates announced

Bon Jovi has released two dates for Japan, just before the Australasian leg:

November 30, 2010 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome
December 1, 2010 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome

Wouldn't surprise me to see more shows added though.

As a side note, I've been trying to work out the band's flight plans... for example, they're going to be in Japan, then fly eastward to New Zealand, then to Western Australia (which, if my mediocre geography skills haven't failed me, is closer to Japan than it is to NZ), then back to the eastern states of Australia?

Happy New Year

Thought I'd see in the new year with something a little bit different. Here is a J-Pop cover of "Next 100 Years" by Japanese boy band J-FRIENDS, circa 2000.


And the Bon Jovi rock version from the Crush Tour. Probably the band's best guitar solo this decade.


Here's to a happy and prosperous 2009.